What Skills Do You Need for a Career in Health Informatics?

Are you considering a career in health informatics? If so, then you may be wondering how you can make your dream career a reality. Continuing your education or pursuing a certification is a common starting point, but there are big picture concerns, too.

By thinking more broadly about what skills you need for a career in health informatics, you can identify what areas you can improve in—and what skills already make you a perfect fit for the field!

Key Takeaways

• • The field of health informatics is constantly growing and requires both technical and professional skills to achieve success.
  • Technical skills in the areas of data analytics, electronic health record management, programming, and interoperability are most advantageous.
  • To stand out, health informatics professionals must also possess strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.

Why Health Informatics Skills Matter

The answer to the question “why do health informatics skills matter?” may feel obvious. After all, if you’re intent on pursuing a career in a specific field, it only makes sense that you’d want to develop applicable skills! Regardless of what specific career path you take within the field of health informatics, your role will involve meeting the health data and IT needs of clinicians and patients.

Employers in this growing field value skills in a wide range of areas, such as:

• Health care delivery
• Data analytics
• Electronic health record management
• Health information technology

Alongside your technical skills, you can also set yourself up for success by developing professional and soft skills. By considering what skills you already possess and which ones you need to work on, you can approach your education intentionally and graduate ready to make an impact in the workforce.

Core Technical Skills for Health Informatics Professionals

Given that health informatics relies heavily on technology, professionals in the field must possess various technical skills. Some of these are general skills whereas others are expertise in specific programs and software.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) Management

Electronic Health Records (EHR) are at the heart of health informatics, so EHR management is crucial for these professionals. An EHR allows clinicians to view a patient’s full medical history in an electronic format; this results in clinicians having better access to patient health data and providing timely patient care.

Since health informatics professionals improve and streamline the systems that hold this information, it’s imperative that they’re well-versed in how these records are managed. By developing your skills in EHR management, you gain a better understanding of these health care systems, how they function, and areas for improvement.

Programming and Database Knowledge

Programming principles are essential to many careers in health informatics. You’ll want to develop your skills in writing algorithms, object-oriented programming concepts, and designing, coding, and testing programs, to name a few key areas. Whether you’re handling health information management or implementing technology within an organization, these skills are essential to your professional toolkit.

To succeed in many health informatics roles, you’ll also need ample database knowledge. Your skillset in this area should include database design, implementation, and querying. Additionally, you’ll want to become familiar with database architectures, query languages, data privacy, and cybersecurity. If you pursue a bachelor’s degree in health informatics, your coursework will typically give you hands-on experience in honing these skills.

Data Analysis and Visualization

A huge part of any career in health informatics involves analyzing generated healthcare data. Along with understanding the theory of data analysis, you must be skilled at applying it to health care data. You’ll regularly use data analysis to make decisions regarding health care delivery and optimizing patient care.

Additionally, developing skills in data visualization methods will be a huge asset for you. By learning how to design and create these graphic data representations, you can better communicate and utilize your findings.

Interoperability and Health Care Standards

If you aren’t familiar with the term interoperability, it essentially refers to exchanging information between systems and then utilizing that information. With health care becoming increasingly digitized, the health care industry has prioritized interoperability more than ever before.

Health informatics professionals are at the forefront of this push due to their expertise in EHR and IT. As part of your career, you’ll implement best practices for optimizing, adopting, and standardizing health information exchange. This requires not only knowledge of interoperability’s principles but also familiarity with health information exchange (HIE) services.

Applied Professional & Soft Skills

While technical skills are key to a fruitful career in health informatics, they aren’t your only tools. Your professional skills, often called “soft skills,” are what truly help you stand out in a competitive job market. Some professional skills are particularly useful in the health informatics skills, including:

• Decision-Making. Collecting and analyzing medical data is important in any health informatics role, but just as important is what you do with that data. The health care industry looks to health informatics professionals to make decisions based on their findings that will impact patient outcomes, EHR systems, and entire organizations.
• Problem Solving. Decision-making also goes hand-in-hand with problem solving. Your colleagues will rely on your knowledge and problem-solving skills to tackle IT, health information system, and database problems. As such, being able to think outside the box and stay calm when problems arise will help you excel.
• Translating Technical Concepts for Non-Technical Audiences. It’s easy to forget that health care professionals come from a wide variety of industries and backgrounds. As a health informatics professional, you’ll often be tasked with disseminating highly technical information to collaborators who aren’t familiar with the same terminology. It’s crucial that you become adept at translating technical concepts, jargon, and processes into more widely understood terms.
• Cross-Functional Team Collaboration. In the field of health informatics, you work closely with health care data toward a variety of goals. As a result, your role requires frequent collaboration with others—including health IT professionals, clinicians, physicians, and regulatory agencies. Any collaborative or communication skills that you can hone will serve you well in your career.
• Time Management and Organization. Health informatics professionals are often juggling various projects at once as they work to meet the needs of both clinicians and patients. Therefore, time management is crucial to success in these roles. When embarking on your career, you’ll want to develop a solid understanding of your workflow, productivity habits, and strategies for prioritizing competing tasks and deadlines.

How to Develop and Strengthen Your Health Informatics Skills

If you’re serious about developing your health informatics skill set, an excellent way to do this is by continuing your education. At UC, we offer an online Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics. Undergraduate coursework in health informatics provides you with a breadth of knowledge in every aspect of health informatics, but that’s not all. Additionally, online degree programs allow you to foster professional skills that are highly sought after in the workforce, such as collaboration, time-management, and organization.

If you’ve already earned your undergraduate degree in health informatics and aren’t sure what’s next, then you’re in luck. UC’s online Master of Health Informatics program allows you to expand your skill set and pursue career advancement. Alternatively, you may also consider pursuing a graduate certificate in Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. This forward-looking program ties in closely with the MHI degree and will prepare you to utilize AI in your career.

From technology to data science to health information, pursuing a health informatics degree prepares you for your dream career. It demonstrates your mastery of these topics and skills to potential employers. It also opens doors to promotion within your field, and it positions you to pursue an advanced degree down the road if you choose.

Want to Learn More about Growing Your Professional Skills? Contact UC Today for One-on-One Advice

Do you already excel in areas that are important for health informatics professionals? Or do you see unfamiliar skills that you’re eager to explore? If so, take the first step and contact an Enrollment Services Advisor today! UC’s dedicated online staff can provide a wealth of information and help you determine if a health informatics degree is right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are three important aspects of health informatics?

Three central aspects of health informatics are health care, information technology, and data science. Health informatics professionals combine these disciplines to improve patient care and medical record systems.

Do you need to know how to code for health informatics?

Not for every role, although an understanding of computer science and IT is crucial. Being familiar with prominent coding languages, such as Python, C, Java and SQL, can be advantageous for these professionals.

What degree or education is required for a career in health informatics?

Typically, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in health informatics, information technology (with a focus on health care), or a related field. Some higher-level roles may require a master’s degree.